Slam Specialty(UPDATE: 7-21-08)

I like what you have to say! Hey, though, I was just thinking, would this be better to have when fully laid out or at ride height like I have been doing?

Cause if I set this up at lay out, I would have bigger numbers and diff. geometry at ride height.. Just wondering..

Seth, man I really appreciate your patience with me! It was nice of you to definitely steer me in the right direction! You kick ass man!

Here is a link to my pirate 4x4 thread too if anyone wants to see me making an ass of myself!



EDIT: Oh, Seth one more question! The vertical spacing at the axle end and frame are less than 1" difference. How do you think this will affect my pinion angle?

Looks like you have learned quite a bit the last few days. Also it made me laugh when you told them of after they told you to search. Bet they weren't expecting that.

YA! Its UNBELIEVABLE how much I've learned in so little time! ugh!

Hey man, its why I like the bscene! No one jacks around tells you to use the search function! Well, maybe, but not right off the friggin' bat! I also think its cause we're a smaller community!

ANYWAYS! UPDATE!

Its not much, but tomorrow it will benefit me more...


Got the bed off and took an air nozzle to it and sprayed a bit of the dirt off with the hose.

I'm gonna be stripping it all out tomorrow, and will pull the tank any hopefully get the notches in!

Was no use on hosing it down. Put some dirt right back on it when I tried doing a burnout, lol! The parents wrecked that party though!

Anyhoo, more to come!

wow, i'm impressed hexorz. you've really reasearched this a lot. if other people put a quarter as much into their rear setups as you have already there'd be a lot less hack jobs rolling around.

^ Thats what I was thinking.


If your spread is less than an inch of difference you won't have much pinion angle change. And if your IC is in a good location with it set up like that, run with it.

And set it up at ride height. Thats where it will be driven, so make the geometry best right there.

HEY MAN! Thanks It makes me feel all tingly inside to hear that!

I really 'am an anal or OCD type of person, and I really hate doing things over! As well, I'm trying to make the most of everything and have a safe and kick ass ride! It also helps me expand my brain more too, lol!

Alright, Seth, I know I may sound a little redundant, but I want to reconfirm this:

Since you say that with my spread that the pinion will have minimal change, is there a way to remedy any problems with the angles to perfect more than adjusting the link ends? Cause won't that affect the geometry?

The geometry I have on the excel sheet right now is at a 10" clearance with the frame rails in the middle. So I'm at a 10" ride height. I figure that should be good height for driving, since I would have to compensate for bump steer and suspension travel and not rub on say, the fenders. Cause right now the tire clearance to the fender lip is like 3".

BUT, a little question about my notches! Since I took measurements, the frame rail is 10" from the ground, so that would mean I need a 10" notch, right? I'm not completely confident on how to install them right without laying frame to really determine how to position them...

Can you give me a crash course!? LOL! Yea, look at me! The wannabe smart artsy fartsy pants and hes asking about notches!

OH, and with that less than an 1" spread vertically for pinion, how much do you think it would change? As wel, what should I set the pinion angle at? -3 to -4 degrees, or + whatever, lol...

I answered part of this above. The other part, go read the link you posted on calculating pinion angles again. Read it until it clicks. You have a 2-piece shaft, so you will have to measure a few angles before you can calculate it. You will also need to set the secondary drive line at the angle in which it will sit at your ride height, and measure that to find out your operating angle at the carrier bearing. Based on this and the formulas on AirRideTalk you will be able to calculate the pinion angle you need to set it at. It may be a 1 or more degrees up or down. Its up to you to find this out, because I don't have any of the information needed to tell you what angle to set the pinion at.

this is a good thread...thanks guys it helps

Excuse me, but its just I've never done this before and I did'nt know what to expect for pinion change. I know it will change a little bit over a given distance, but I thought I might have alot more change than anticipated.

Hehehe, well Seth it seems like you don't have many bumpy roads and alot of turning to do? I figure that if I have maybe an inch or so before they tuck, it would be a good ride height cause then I would'nt have to struggle with the wheel rubbing the fenders trying to turn and not hassle with hitting the switches on a corner to clear so I can turn. Other then that, maybe I can overcome this when lower too, but like I said, I dunno what to expect.

As far as setting the geometry up at ride height, how can I do this? When I think about it, the axle location is fixed based upon the tire diameter. Which now that I think about the frame end, means that he x-member I'm going to attach the link ends to would have to be taller so the links can sit higher when I'm lower? So really, if I'm right, don't change the geometry of the links like I have it now, just change the size of he x-member?

As far as the pinion angle goes, I was asking at how much to set it cause maybe you preload the pinion angle in compensation for acceleration? I realize the 4-link is stouter than the leaf spring suspension so maybe I don't need to compensate, or maybe a couple degrees at that?

Lol, I was also a bit of an airhead last night too. Late and alot was going on but now I remember about where to set it at..

AND, all that notch info was a BIG HELP! Cause, when I was told to figure for the notch, it would'nt have worked out like this does! Thanks Seth! Haha! Hey man, have you noticed that you've basically helped me turn my project thread into a friggin' techie?!

A 4-link will not allow any kind of axle wrap, unless your link mounts are flexing. So set it at the point it needs to be, and leave it alone.